FRIDAY NIGHT FIGHT COMES TO NOTRE DAME

On Friday, September 16, undefeated light heavyweight fighter and 2009 Notre Dame graduate Mike Lee will be fighting in the first professional boxing match ever held on campus. Lee will be headlining a six-bout charity night starting at 9pm ET in the Joyce Center, which has been dubbed “Fight Like a Champion.” Keeping with the Notre Dame spirit of service to others, all proceeds will go to the Ara Parseghian Medical Research Foundation and the Robinson Community Learning Center in South Bend. Tickets for the event are available through the Notre Dame Ticket Office online, by phone (630 400-6380), or at the door on fight night.


Upon graduating as a three-time Bengal Bouts champion, Lee won the 2009 Chicago Golden Gloves competition before joining forces with Top Rank Boxing and professional trainer Ronnie Shields, who once worked with boxing legends Evander Holyfield, Mike Tyson, Pernell Whitaker, Arturo Gatti, and Juan Diaz. Since turning pro, Lee has amassed an unblemished 6-0 record, 4 of which he ended by knockout.

I recently caught up with Lee for an Irish Creed Exclusive in anticipation of his upcoming fight:


TheNDleprechaun: First off, can you give us a rundown of the fight night Notre Dame is hosting on September 16? What can fans expect to experience when they attend? 

MIKE LEE: The fight night Sept 16 will be starting at 9pm in the JACC the night before the home football game vs Michigan St. This is the first professional boxing event in Notre Dame's history, so it is very special to me. It is a charity event and my foundation (Mike Lee Foundation) will be personally donating $100,000 to the Robinson Community Learning Center and the Ara Parseghian Medical Research Foundation. I would tell fans that they can experience some top-tier professional Top Rank prospects on this card. Anyone who hasn't been to a live boxing match needs to experience it first-hand. The atmosphere in the building on a fight night is amazing.

TheNDleprechaun: You've gone on to remain undefeated since the last time we interviewed you. Can you share what this means to you and how it affects your mindset as you prepare for each fight? 

MIKE LEE: Staying undefeated is my main goal right now. I understand that naturally there is a target on my back, but without the pressure I wouldn't perform as well as I have. I love intensity and energy on fight night and being undefeated only pushes me harder. The fear of failure is a huge motivating factor for me.

TheNDleprechaun: You have quite a following here at Notre Dame, including Coach Kelly who has been known to send shoutouts your way via twitter. How does it feel knowing so many members of the Notre Dame family continue to follow your career? 

MIKE LEE: Having so much support from the Notre Dame community is HUGE for me. I have spent time with Coach Kelly (who is a big boxing fan) and it is so cool for me to see him give me a few shoutouts on twitter and to hear that he is following and supporting my career. He is an awesome guy and exactly the type of coach that Notre Dame needs. He is a true motivator.

TheNDleprechaun: Given the rich boxing culture at Notre Dame, and the legendary sports tradition that goes along with the Fighting Irish name, what does it mean to represent your alma mater in the first professional fight ever to be held on campus? 

MIKE LEE: It means so much to me to represent my alma mater in this huge homecoming and be part of an event where I get to do what I love in the ring and help out the Notre Dame/South Bend community in the process. Everyone will see on Sept 16 how hard I have trained, how explosive my style has gotten and how bad I want to impress the fans. I guarantee they are in for a great show!!

Thanks Mike, good luck, and we look forward to seeing you in action on September 16! 


Irish Fans: This is an event you WILL NOT want to miss! If you plan on coming to campus for the football game this weekend, come out Friday night to witness history as Mike Lee shows us the true meaning of the words Fighting Irish!